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Dish Network Corp., the No. 2 satellite provider in the United States, said on Thursday it lost 10,000 net subscribers in the three months ended June 30.

The company said in a regulatory filing it ended the second quarter with 14.061 million subscribers. Dish's average churn rate jumped to 1.60 percent, compared with 1.35 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Wonder why they published these numbers now vs. when they release the 2Q earnings report?

The interesting part of this is that the total subscriber number listed in the Street Insider article reflects a net loss of 10,000 subscribers versus the Q1 numbers (14,071,000 down to 14,061,000) which is in line with what the Tribune numbers indicate.

I too wonder who is leaking this information in advance of the August 7 conference call.

Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. -- JFK

That's good since Dish didn't drop AMC until the start of the 3rd quarter.

DISH spent most of the 2nd quarter telling customers that they were dropping AMC (and three other channels). DISH also pulled promoting AMC as part of their programming packages. While three of the four channels were technically carried until the end of the contract they were buried in a high channel number graveyard.

Last year DISH lost 135k net subscribers (572k gross adds) in the 2nd quarter. After a 104k net add first quarter a negative net add quarter isn't the best news, but at least they are not digging the hole they were in last year.

This is the second set of numbers I've seen today. The other number was around 655,000 to the good (waaay too good to be true).

Not really ... Gross adds are generally a high number. The worst quarter for gross adds in the past six years was 2Q2011 with 572k gross adds. Otherwise DISH has run 653k to 958k in gross adds each quarter since 1Q2006.

Dish probably did add a bunch of new customers due to Hopper... but then lost customers for other reasons. I'm not sure if we would see a breakdown of how many of the gross additions got Hopper/Joey installs.

The interesting part of this is that the total subscriber number listed in the Street Insider article reflects a net loss of 10,000 subscribers versus the Q1 numbers (14,071,000 down to 14,061,000) which is in line with what the Tribune numbers indicate.

I too wonder who is leaking this information in advance of the August 7 conference call.

That 655,000 gain report was originally worded incorrectly. The report said 655k net gain when they really meant gross gain. In that same report they also stated they have a net loss of 10,000. Every report is now stating the same thing.

Of course they could have all just got the information for the same source and that one source could be wrong?

My guess is that many Dish subscribers were frustrated with the upfront charges upgrading to a Hopper, so they canceled and created a new account through a spouse or family member. I agree that waiting for 3rd quarter numbers will better reflect the status of the company, especially when AMC asks a reasonable price.

The DISH ® branded pay-TV service added approximately 665,000 gross new subscribers and lost approximately 10,000 net subscribers during the three months ended June 30, 2012. Our average monthly subscriber churn rate for the three months ended June 30, 2012 was approximately 1.60%. As of June 30, 2012, we had approximately 14.061 million subscribers in the United States.

This is advance information on the second quarter results which we will not see until August. I would suspect that the second quarter results may not have a profit growth similar to the first quarter because of the investment in the Hopper.

The churn rate is up. It will be very difficult to sort out the impacts of the Hopper, the dropping of the AMC family of channels, and the continuing economic doldrums which still include home foreclosures.

Regarding why the Tribune published these numbers absent any quarterly statement context, The Tribune Company's 18 newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times are part of a large media company that owns local broadcast stations and cable channels, all of which are constantly seeking increases in retransmission fees. The Tribune Company is in financial trouble and the newspaper staffs are feeling the crunch. They're are likely to be looking for you to pay in your basic package $25 a month for WGN, not helping you to get WGN and other cable channels a la carte.

"In a hundred years there'll be a whole new set of people."
"Always poke the bears. They sleep too much for their own good."

Regarding why the Tribune published these numbers absent any quarterly statement context, The Tribune Company's 18 newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times are part of a large media company that owns local broadcast stations and cable channels, all of which are constantly seeking increases in retransmission fees. The Tribune Company is in financial trouble and the newspaper staffs are feeling the crunch. They're are likely to be looking for you to pay in your basic package $25 a month for WGN, not helping you to get WGN and other cable channels a la carte.

I was actually referring more about the AMC emphasis the Tribune put on the selected four paragraphs of the Reuters story, with the first two posted above followed by:

On June 30, Dish dropped New York-based AMC Networks after the companies' contract expired and a new agreement could not be reached. With the AMC channel blacked out, Dish subscribers have not been able to watch the new season of the drama "Breaking Bad."

Dish Network Corp, the No. 2 satellite television provider in the United States, lost fewer subscribers than expected in the second quarter, which sent its shares up more than 3 percent on Thursday.

And before mentioning AMC they included:

"The improving customer results appear to confirm that the company continues to turn around its PayTV operations," [Canaccord Genuity analyst Tom] Eagan said in a research note on Thursday.

It could have just been the staff cutting the length of the story to fit on the page, but my paranoia kicks in when a wire service story from the internet seems carefully cut on a newspaper's internet site.

"In a hundred years there'll be a whole new set of people."
"Always poke the bears. They sleep too much for their own good."

It could have just been the staff cutting the length of the story to fit on the page, but my paranoia kicks in when a wire service story from the internet seems carefully cut on a newspaper's internet site.

Normal "newspaper" writing style allows trimming the end of articles ... the first few paragraphs tell the story, the rest gives the details. And if space is not available to "print" the whole article the details can be lost without losing the core of the story.

I guess there was not enough space on the Tribune's website for the full story. The extra words take up too much server space.

Dish Network Corp. (DISH), a provider of satellite television through its unit Dish Network L.L.C., reported Wednesday a 32.6 percent decline in second-quarter profit reflecting the loss of an orbital slot license, higher costs and lower revenues. Quarterly earnings per share and top line missed Wall Street estimates.

Second-quarter net income attributable to the company was $226 million or $0.50 per share, sharply lower than last year's $335 million or $0.75 per share. On average, 24 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings per share of $0.68 for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude one-time items.

The results reflected a $43 million negative impact due to the loss of the 148-degree orbital slot license in the quarter. Higher subscriber-related expenses from higher programming costs and increased subscriber acquisition costs, including increased brand advertising associated with Hopper set-top box, added to the woes.

Net income attributable to DISH Network totaled $226 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2012, a 32.6 percent decrease compared with $335 million during the same period last year. As a result of the loss of the 148-degree orbital slot license in the quarter, net income was negatively impacted by $43 million.

Diluted earnings per share were $0.50 for the second quarter, compared with $0.75 during the same period in 2011. DISH Network's net subscribers decreased by approximately 10,000 during the second quarter, and the company ended the period with approximately 14.061 million subscribers. The subscriber churn rate of 1.60 percent was an improvement over the 1.67 percent rate from the year-ago quarter.

"In the face of a difficult economy and stiff competition, a disciplined approach to subscriber acquisition and retention is paying off," said DISH CEO and President Joseph Clayton. "Our focus has overcome the seasonality of the second quarter with year-over-year growth in gross activations and a reduction in churn. Additionally, the launch of the Hopper™ Whole-Home HD DVR has improved subscriber quality by adding more DVR and broadband-connected customers to our base."

Year-to-Date Review DISH Network's first half revenues of $7.15 billion increased 5 percent over the same period last year. In the first six months of 2012, net income attributable to DISH Network totaled $586 million compared with $884 million during the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share were $1.30 for first six months of 2012, compared with $1.98 during the same period in 2011.

Detailed financial data and other information are available in DISH Network's Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2012, filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. DISH Network will host its second quarter 2012 financial results conference call today at noon ET. The dial-in number is (800) 616-6729.

About DISHDISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides approximately 14.061 million satellite TV customers, as of June 30, 2012, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation's subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.

Any thoughts on why the loss of 148 would cause the drop in income? I thought the FCC took the license away because Dish wasn't using it, so if they weren't using it to begin with how could it cause a loss of $43M in income for the quarter?

Any thoughts on why the loss of 148 would cause the drop in income? I thought the FCC took the license away because Dish wasn't using it, so if they weren't using it to begin with how could it cause a loss of $43M in income for the quarter?

Was Dish sub-leasing transponders off of 148? I know they have leased transponders on other SATs... that could explain loss of revenue if they were leasing slots on 148 before they lost it.